The Passionate Runner

Amy Stephens is a registered dietitian, certified specialist in sports nutrition, blogger, runner and food coach. She has over twenty years of experience working with amateur and high-performing Olympic level athletes to achieve their sports performance goals using the latest science- backed approaches. Today, Whitney and Amy discuss how running affects our hormones and how our hormones affect our running. Amy delves deep into the signs you should look for that may signal that you have an imbalance and strategies to keep hormones balanced through training, recovery, and how you eat.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:04 – Whitney Heins welcomes Amy Stephens to the show who shares her expertise as a registered sports dietician and the impact hormones have on running

08:50 – Signs to look out for when monitoring your hormones and stress level

17:15 – Low estrogen and low testosterone

19:25 – The importance of diet and nutrition

29:24 – Next steps for those experiencing a hormonal imbalance

37:26 – Whitney and Amy both open up about their shared experience with hormones, having children, and how it impacted their running

42:37 – Whitney thanks Amy for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her

“What does it mean to balance hormones? What does this all mean? Why is this important? Hormones kinda control everything in our bodies. They regulate all of our functions such as the menstrual cycle, bone growth, heart rate, muscle growth and repair, digestion, temperature, blood sugar, mood. They control everything.” (07:19) (Amy)

“Exercise is great, but too much or maybe not recovering well can definitely impact performance. So, you asked about signs or how to know when your body is not recovered. So let’s start there. There’s some signs that are very clear that I usually ask someone. Do they feel rested? Sometimes people can say, ‘No, I feel tired all the time. I don’t feel like I’m recovering from the workouts.’ Another big sign is there’s no appetite. If you don’t have an appetite, it means those stress hormones might still be circulating.” (10:59) (Amy)

“There are some initial studies, Adam Tenforde out of Boston has some great studies that show that low testosterone can have a similar impact on men, meaning that the bone reformation after a workout can be altered with low testosterone.” (18:41) (Amy)

“Also, it’s about getting used to trying different foods. See what works for you so you know on race day what your body feels good with and what maybe it doesn’t.” (28:54) (Amy)

“Carbs are not bad. They provide energy and help us to feel better. And that’s part of a healthy diet.” (31:35) (Amy)

“Cortisol levels can be helpful, but again if you just worked out or if you’re feeling stressed at that moment, that cortisol is going to be high. The same goes for insulin. Insulin levels are high after a meal. That’s normal.” (35:53) (Amy)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Amy’s Website – https://www.amystephensnutrition.com/

Amy’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/amystephensnutrition/?hl=en

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

Ben Reale is the Founder of the personal training group, Condition One Fitness & Nutrition. He’s a Marathon runner, licensed attorney, and a former Marine Officer who has led more than 6,000 one-on-one training sessions and 600 small group classes. He is an expert in thoroughly evaluating someone to determine their ‘movement baseline,’ incorporating individualized corrective strategies into specific training programs as needed. Today, Whitney and Ben talk about making exercise a habit and how to overcome and work around all the potential life obstacles that can get in the way of making running a habit. They touch on rewards, ‘gaming your brain,’ and everything that supports making running a habit, like good eating, good sleeping, rest days, and strength training.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:00 – Whitney Heins welcomes Ben Reale to the show who shares his unique career trajectory, including his time as a personal trainer and a Marine

09:44 – Habit formation and making sustainable changes by taking it slow

15:39 – The power of consistency and overcoming life obstacles

20:35 – Finding your ‘Why,’ outcome-based goals, and behavior-based goals

32:00 – The effectiveness of rewards and ‘gaming your brain’

40:16 – Bright spots and other tools for making running a habit

46:41 – Whitney thanks Ben for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with him

“I think that the big takeaway is that if people are in that situation and they’ve come up with a Plan A and a Plan B, and they gotta get thirty minutes in, or whatever they’re trying to accomplish for a run, if it’s consistently not happening, then it’s like, ‘Hey, that’s ok. It’s just feedback that you have to change your plan because it’s not working.’ And I think that’s a powerful piece too because being able to break away and almost from a 30,000 foot view just look down on it and say, ‘Well this is not working so I need to change it’ is important.” (16:32) (Ben)

“I think at the end of the day, if it is a priority to you, you’re gonna find a way to get it done in some way, shape or form.” (19:50) (Ben)

“So a lot of times we’ll break things down in terms of outcome-based or behavior-based goals. And so, if your outcome is to run the NYC Marathon, that’s great. We can delve into why you want to do that, but then we also want to take into account the behavior-based goals that are gonna be required to ultimately get you to your outcome.” (24:45) (Ben)

“I think the rewards can be the most effective when you have intention behind them and some specificity.” (32:23) (Ben)

“Maybe you’re training for a race, maybe you’ve got a nagging injury, maybe you’re trying to institute strength training into your program. Looking at your bright spots on either a weekly or monthly basis and then picking out what went really well that’s specifically related to something that’s difficult and then asking. ‘how can I do more of that,’ is key.” (40:30) (Ben)

“I think, generally speaking, if you’re trying to change something, whether it be lifestyle, nutrition, fitness, if you’re trying to get started with running, break things down as small as possible and think about what you can do on your worst day.” (44:28) (Ben)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Ben’s Website – https://www.coachbenreale.com/

Ben’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/coachbenreale/?hl=en

Ben’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/coachbenreale/

Ben’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/coachbenreale?lang=ar

Books Mentioned:

Do Hard Things – https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Things-Resilience-Surprising-Toughness/dp/B09JYH5K33/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-oqdBhDfARIsAO0TrGHhhtQ9ttxxa_TpaOp0R3-AJTxrGAMuc1h7RaVIWFbYeUVJczMfxaQaAuzGEALw_wcB&hvadid=409939232523&hvdev=c

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

Claire Bartholic is an ASAF Certified Running Coach and a NESTA Certified Sports Nutrition Specialist. Claire is also the host of one of the most popular running podcasts in the world, The Planted Runner Podcast. Today, Whitney and Claire discuss tips and mental tricks that can help you run your best, how to flip the ‘comparison trap’ on its head, and the importance of positive self-talk. Claire shares some mental training exercises that she does with her athletes and provides advice for overcoming self-doubt and other mental obstacles.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:06 – Whitney Heins welcomes Claire Bartholic to the show who shares how she went from running to get in shape for her high school reunion to becoming a full-fledged Marathoner

12:56 – Solving the puzzle of running

16:29 – Self-awareness and knowing when to listen to your body

18:45 – Mental training strategies

23:49 – The impact of positive self-talk outside of running

24:43 – Common scenarios that all runners should plan and prepare for mentally

33:00 – Distanced self-talk, alter ego and other mental strength exercises

41:06 – Overcoming self-doubt

45:33 – Flipping ‘comparison’ on its head

48:34 – Common mental training pitfalls that Claire sees with her athletes

52:34 – Advice for Mother Runners everywhere

55:46 – Whitney thanks Claire for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her

“It came to be less about the marathon itself and more about the puzzle of it - figuring out what I needed to do to do this super amazing thing, learning as much as possible. I was absolutely obsessed with the science of it and how you do it. And then figuring out how to implement it for myself. It was quite the journey.” (09:31) (Claire)

“Through that journey I have found my life’s work, my life’s passion. It is absolutely what I was put on Earth to do, is to help people transform their lives through running. And I am just so excited to honestly wake up every day and do stuff like this.” (11:03) (Claire)

“I say, ‘Goals are like a bar of soap. The tighter you hold onto them, the easier they slip away.’” (19:48) (Claire)

“While you’re running a race, if you’re forcing something to happen, how much mental energy does that cost you? If you’re so focused on ‘I gotta hit this. I gotta hit that,’ that’s going to take away from your race. And, if you have a more chill attitude - still competitive - and if you have a much more neutral voice in your head, you’re a lot more likely to actually do the thing.” (20:06) (Claire)

“If you have a terrible race, but you can still execute your strategy, that’s amazing. Even if you’re off your time, if you can still get the spirit of what you are trying to do, you will be a better Marathoner.” (27:02) (Claire)

“Counting is something that you learned as a really small child. It is something that is really, really deep inside your head. And so, you can do that and focus on that without any thought at all. And what it does is it shuts out the other voices that are saying, ‘This is hard. I’m slowing down.’ You just have something to focus on.” (39:02) (Claire)

“So, before we try to demonize ‘comparison,’ understand that is absolutely part of being human. It’s a fundamental part of being human, and it’s not something that we should actually change.” (46:14) (Claire)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Claire’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/theplantedrunner/

The Planted Runner – https://theplantedrunner.com/

The Planted Runner Podcast – https://theplantedrunner.com/podcast/

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

Neely Gracey is a three-time Olympic Trials Qualifier and Founder of the run coaching group, Get Running Coaching. Today, Neely joins the show to discuss racing strategies such as running the tangent, navigating water stops, and other tactics to consider. Neely shares her thoughts on running etiquette, how to settle into your comfort zone when you find yourself running alone, and what to do when things don’t go as expected on race day.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:01 – Whitney Heins welcomes Neely Gracey back to the show to discuss her training and how the altitude has impacted her

12:08 – Running the tangent and other race strategies

18:19 – Running etiquette

19:34 – Navigating water stops

26:33 – Other tactics to consider prior to race day

35:29 – Settling into your comfort zone when you find yourself running alone

41:08 – Turning off the self-doubt and tuning out the excuses

51:00 – What to do when things don’t go according to your plan

1:03:45 – Whitney thanks Neely for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her

“So the tangents are something that you often see in the Elite race. In a major, for example, all the majors have a blue line, and that is the tangent. The blue line is where the measured course is. So, if you can run the blue line, you’re gonna run 26.2. If you run off the blue line, you are not going to be taking the most efficient, measured route. And, therefore, you may run further.” (14:15) (Neely)

“For my athletes, I always tell them to grab two cups at every stop. Every single water stop capitalize with two cups, because you know you’re only getting an ounce or two out of each cup. So, over the course of a marathon, you’re gonna need every single stop with two cups each to get in the appropriate amount of fluids that you need for that distance.” (21:07) (Neely)

“In my book I actually have a whole chapter on breathing and how to run on effort by utilizing this strategy. So, it’s you breathe in two steps and out two steps and that’s one. So in two, out two, in two, out two. And I do this in every race that I run and every workout that I do. It really helps me stay really focused and engaged and get the most out of myself on the day.” (37:42) (Neely)

“One of the things that you can do is utilize ‘you’ instead of ‘I.’ Research has suggested that we respond better when someone else tells us we can do it. So, when someone else cheers, ‘You got this’ your brain is gonna register it better than if you’re just saying, ‘Ok, I can do this. I can do this.’ And so, if you talk to yourself as someone else - as a coach, for example - and you say ‘You can do hard things. You can get up this hill,’ whatever it may be, that is going to be more effective.” (43:46) (Neely)

“I was on a team with multiple Olympians. It was really, really special for me on that day. And, at the end of it, I realized it was because I was prepared mentally that if anything didn’t go my way, it was still going to be ok. And I could only control myself, my attitude, and my approach to what was happening out there. And I feel like it made all the difference on that day. From that time forward, I’ve pretty much entered every race with that attitude of, ‘I can only control myself.’” (57:14) (Neely)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Neely’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/neelysgracey?lang=en

Neely’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/neelysgracey/?hl=en

Neely’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/neely-gracey-2780054a/

Neely’s Book – https://www.amazon.com/Breakthrough-Womens-Running-Dream-Train/dp/1718206917/ref=asc_df_1718206917/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564812784191&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15541917992620174064&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9004216&hvtargid=pla-1625809640394&psc=1

Get Running Coaching Website – https://getrunningcoaching.com/

Get Running Coaching Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/getrunningcoaching/?hl=en

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

Laura Norris is a certified running coach, small business owner, writer, and content creator. She believes in a blended approach to coaching that utilizes both evidence-based methods of training and a holistic approach of coaching the runner as a person first, athlete second. Laura’s philosophy emphasizes sustainability, enjoyment, and long-term growth. Today, Whitney and Laura talk all about how to predict your marathon time. They discuss pacing, pickups at the end of long runs, and the different types of running calculators, including Jack Daniels’ VDOT. Finally, Laura provides tips and best practices on tapering, fueling and when to heighten your focus on your marathon goals.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:12 – Whitney Heins welcomes Laura Norris back to the show to discuss her CIM Training and how to predict your marathon time

12:09 – Pacing and Jack Daniels’ VDOT running calculator

20:27 – Other popular running calculators

25:12 – Best workouts to help inform what your marathon time will be

28:01 – How to determine your marathon pace

30:52 – Pickups at the end of a long run

36:12 – The Garmin Race Predictor, easy miles, and long-run pace

43:01 – The best time to focus on your goal time and marathon tapering

46:02 – Fueling and other best practices to implement prior to race day

50:21 – Whitney thanks Laura for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can connect with her

“Picking an arbitrary goal time is a sort of reverse engineering that doesn’t work in training, because you’re not this robot who you can input, ‘I want to run a nine minute mile pace’ which is roughly what you want for a sub-four hour Marathon. Unfortunately, training doesn’t work that way. A lot of times people see these nice round numbers or there’s some sort of excitement around them, but you just can’t program a number into your body. It’s all dependent upon where your current fitness is and where your aerobic capacity is.” (10:26) (Laura)

“For most runners, taking a 10k or longer will give them a more accurate result than taking a mile or a 5k just because those shorter distances have more anaerobic contribution. And that’s when you’re getting into differences of muscle fiber typology. So, you can have someone who really excels in the Marathon and once they get into anything above their critical speed, they aren’t as fast as the equivalent race times would predict.” (17:34) (Laura)

“Once we get to four and a half to five hours and five and a half to six, your marathon pace is gonna have a lot of overlap with your easy pace. And, when we talk about marathon pace, it’s not always this reverse engineered X minutes per mile faster than your easy pace. It’s about the pace you can sustain for a certain duration.” (25:33) (Laura)

“One workout that I find that is really great is to do ten minutes at threshold, thirty minutes at threshold, all those ones that push the upper end of threshold and really rely on the ability to control your pacing and then kinda add to thet.” (30:36) (Laura)

“Where you are eight weeks out from your marathon is not where you’re gonna be in your marathon. And, if you’re reaching peak fitness eight weeks out from a marathon, you should probably be worried. You’re probably overtraining.” (43:39) (Laura)

“Carbs are the spark that’s gonna fuel the fire of the marathon. You need that substrate. You’re putting gas in your tank. No one’s giving out medals at the end for running the marathon on the fewest carbs.” (48:19) (Laura)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Laura’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-norris-64269055/

Laura’s Website – https://lauranorrisrunning.com/

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

David Block is the Founder and CEO of Previnex, a nutritional supplement company that is committed to using science, clinically-tested ingredients and going above and beyond the testing and production standards required in the industry. Today, Whitney and David talk about the nutritional supplement industry, what ingredients to look for and to avoid when purchasing vitamins and supplements, and where you can get the highest quality products. David speaks to the distribution channel in the vitamin supplement space, his passion for optimal health and wellness, and what inspired him to launch Previnex.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:02 – Whitney Heins introduces today’s guest, David Block, who speaks to his background in endurance athletics and how he became an expert in all things nutritional supplements

13:02 – The Previnex origin story

17:09 – Why there are loose regulations in the supplements industry

25:16 – Best practices on what ingredients to look for when shopping for nutritional supplements

32:26 – Finding other high-quality products (outside of Prenivex)

40:28 – Should you buy supplements through Amazon?

43:48 – David provides his thoughts on gummy vitamins

47:31 – Whitney thanks David for joining the show and lets listeners know where they can learn more about Previnex

“I just became an expert in all things nutritional supplements. And I was just bothered by a lot of what I saw which got me kinda crazy enough to start a company in the space.” (09:55) (David)

“When you dive deep into the industry, unfortunately, you realize pretty quickly that it’s a very predatory industry. Unless a consumer has a background in nutritional science, they honestly have a zero percent chance of understanding what ingredients can benefit them, or what products can benefit them, because it’s super nuanced.” (11:31) (David)

“The vision was never, ‘Let’s be everything to everyone.’ The vision was more, ‘Let’s go into categories where we know we can make the best joint supplement, or immune supplement, or whatever it is, and have the clinical data to back it up.’” (16:04) (David)

“If they get to X million dollars in sales, they’ll just pay that two, three, four million dollar fine. And that’s just a business decision. I could tell you so many stories, which I’m a little hesitant to do because I don’t want to rip other companies, but this is actually like a business strategy in the industry. They go back to the predatory line of company profits and revenue matter more than consumer health, which is nuts. You can build a nice business by serving your customers really well with products of excellence.” (18:33) (David)

“Vitamin C is a good tell for me. Ascorbic acid is like the lower quality, least expensive form of Vitamin C. It can be harsher on your stomach. So mineral ascorbates have always been my preferred form of Vitamin C. It’s five to six times more expensive per kilo at the raw material level, but it’s less harsh on the stomach. The data shows your cells readily intake mineral ascorbates and get more out of it than just ascorbic acid.” (29:20) (David)

“I’ll also look at the ‘other ingredients’ for protein or meal replacement powders, because that’s where a lot gets hidden. I don’t want to see any gums because you can do it without gums. I don’t want to see any sugar alcohols because those spike a glycemic response in insulin production, which you do not want over time. I don’t want to see artificial anything. I don’t want to see artificial sweeteners. It’s just a tell-tale sign that a company is not doing it well. And so gums, sugar alcohols, preservatives, artificial anything would be things where I would say to avoid those products.” (31:46) (David)

“Children’s gummies drive me nuts, because I think they just have too much sugar or they don’t have enough [vitamin minerals] because it would taste so bad that they wouldn’t be able to sell it.” (46:57) (David)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

David’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-block-4b61ba3/

Previnex – https://www.previnex.com/

Previnex Twitter – https://twitter.com/previnex

Previnex Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/previnex/

Previnex Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/previnex

Life Extension – https://www.lifeextension.com/

Douglas Labs – https://www.douglaslabs.com/

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

Niraj Vora & Ryan Hill are the Founders of The Stride Shop, a physical therapy clinic that helps runners dealing with injuries get back to training and racing strong. Having worked in various physical therapy clinics, Nirah and Ryan know that runners deserve personalized care and are here to provide that care and to help runners reach their goals. Today, Whitney engages in a rich discussion with Niraj and Ryan on the inspiration behind launching The Stride Shop, knowing the difference between a ‘niggle’ and a major injury, and injury PTSD. They discuss the role that the mind and the nervous system play in injury, as well as Covid and tips for returning to running post-Covid.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:13 – Whitney Heins introduces today’s guests, founders of the Physical Therapy The Stride Shop Niraj Vora & Ryan Hill, who joins the show to share their athletic backgrounds and

09:51 – What inspired Niraj and Ryan to launch The Stride Shop

12:30 – ‘Eureka’ moments

16:07 – Understanding the difference between a ‘niggle’ and a major injury

19:12 – When a runner should consider seeing a physical therapist (PT) and the science behind neuropain

24:35 – The roles of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

28:35 – Injury PTSD

31:40 – Returning to running after Covid, including advice and best practices

44:52 – What’s next for Niraj & Ryan

47:49 – Whitney thanks Niraj & Ryan for taking the time to join the show and lets listeners know where they can learn more about The Stride Shop

“I think that we both have a passion for treating this population. And there’s also just a lack of proper care for this population. I think, generally speaking, if a runner goes to see somebody they aren’t really talking to somebody who knows what it’s like to go run an eighteen mile run on a Sunday morning.” (10:03) (Niraj)

“If you’re able to train without making the situation worse, there may be a fairly straightforward solution that can keep you training and address whats going on. But if you wait four or five months and have carried that pain and that injury for that long, it becomes a little bit harder a lot of times to treat that. So, I would say sooner is better. I know that goes against a lot of human nature, especially runners who just want to keep going.” (19:38) (Niraj)

“I do a lot of deep breathing exercises as a preparatory for exercising or running for my patients just to tap into that rest and rejuvenation recovery system. So, the more that we can send that signal - activate an area, send a signal to the brain that this is a non threat, start to carve that pathway - the better.” (23:28) (Ryan)

“The more than we can tap into the parasympathetic system when it comes to chronic injuries, the better that recovery is going to be.” (24:59) (Ryan)

“I will say that this probably is one of the most important situations to proceed slowly. When it comes to pain and nervous system, I always tell people that basically you have a cup, and that cup is how much stress that your body can take. And so, it doesn’t mean that it’s only physical stress. When you have Covid or an illness, there are mental stressors that go along with it.” (35:19) (Niraj)

“I think sometimes healthcare professions - ourselves included - maybe miss the mark when we talk about aqua jogging or cycling as the best forms of cross-training for runners. I’m not on that train anymore.” (43:53)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Ryan’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-hill-pt-dpt-ocs-09565476/

The Stride Shop – https://thestrideshop.com/

The Stride Shop Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thestrideshop

The Stride Shop Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thestrideshop/

The Stride Shop YouTube Channel -

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBulPp9mIAATv8siz8a4KXQ

The Stride Shop Email – [email protected]

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast

Todd Buckingham is the Chief Exercise Physiologist at The Bucking Fit Life. He earned his PhD. in kinesiology from Michigan State University. In addition to being an expert in endurance performance, Todd is a Triathlon World Champion and a 2:25 Marathoner. Today, Whitney and Todd talk all about The Marathon Taper. They discuss the science behind tapering, why some runners feel awful after the tapering process, common mistakes to avoid and best practices to employ when tapering.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:08 – Whitney Heins introduces today’s guest, Todd Buckingham, who joins the show to share his running origin story, how he trains for Marathons and the biggest mistake runners make

11:03 – A 2:25 Marathon and 40 miles per week

16:46 – Finding your ‘Magic Mileage’

21:28 – The Marathon Taper

27:23 – The physiology of the Marathon Taper

30:20 – When you should time your ‘peak’ workout during Marathon training

33:14 – Guidelines for knowing which Taper is best for you

36:35 – How to know if you tapered correctly

42:13 – Why many runners feel terrible when they taper and recommendations for runners who think that they aren’t doing enough

48:36 – Common mistakes runners make when tapering and best practices for tapering the right way

53:44 – What’s next for Todd

55:58 – Whitney thanks Todd for taking the time to join the show

“Distance Running is an aerobic sport. And to perform your best, you need to have the good aerobic base built. And you can’t do that if you’re pushing the envelope on your easy runs because when you run too hard, your body’s not able to produce and develop new mitochondria.” (09:38)

“That’s one of my favorite sayings. So, I have athletes who I coach - runners, triathletes, cyclists - and that’s one of my favorite sayings. ‘Just because you can run faster doesn’t mean you should run faster. Or, just because you can do this race, doesn’t mean you should do this race.’” (16:26)

“I always tell my athletes to just focus on comparing yourself to you. Don’t compare yourself to anybody else because it doesn’t matter what anybody else is doing. And that’s why when I go to a race, I don’t really care who else shows up. I know what I’m capable of and my training has prepared me for this race. I don’t need to compare myself to anybody else.” (19:55)

“So, the purpose of the Marathon taper is to have you fresh and ready to race the best Marathon you can. When you’re in training, you’re always gonna be carrying some level of fatigue because you’re putting in thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, one hundred miles a week. And your body is not able to recover from that in a day or two. So, the taper, which is gonna depend on your fitness level and what works for you because sometimes a one-week taper works for some others and a week and a half or a two week taper works for others. And so, you really have to experiment with what works best for you.” (22:06)

“Unfortunately, you’re probably not gonna know if you tapered correctly until after the race. And, you might not even know directly after that race because it’s more about building your body of evidence. So, if you have a good race where you tapered one way, and then you have a better race tapering another way, and a worse race tapering another way, you really have to put all of those pieces together. And I know likes to hear that it’s trial and error, but it kinda is.” (37:04)

“The body craves consistency. And so, when you take that away, it kinda gets thrown outta whack.” (44:02)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Todd’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-buckingham-4b5246b4/

Todd’s Website – http://www.toddbuckingham.com/

The Bucking Fit Life Website – https://www.thebuckingfitlife.com/home

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Natalie Mitchell is a seven-time marathoner, four-time Boston qualifier and five-time triathlete who is also a mother to three incredible children and wife to her best friend, Jerold. Today, Whitney and Natalie share in a rich discussion on why we love running despite the sacrifices and heartache it can sometimes give us, handling a Marathon DNF with grace and running safety, especially in the wake of the tragic murder of Liza Fletcher. Natalie opens up about her husband’s recent life-threatening health emergency and the major lessons she has taken away from that experience.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:08 – Whitney Heins introduces today’s guest, Natalie Mitchell, who joins the show to share why she continues to return to running despite the heartache it can give us

10:10 – A beautiful Marathon build, a devastating injury, and dealing with a DNF (Did Not Finish)

22:56 – Natalie’s fierce mindset and her ability to play the long game

27:25 – Natalie training and recovery journey

34:19 – Pivoting from the Indy Marathon to a late Fall/early Winter Marathon

39:37 – Natalie opens up about her husband Jerold’s recent life-threatening health emergency

45:36 – Whitney and Natalie reflect on the recent murder of Liza Fletcher and the importance of keeping yourself safe while running

52:06 – Whitney thanks Natalie for taking the time to join the show and share her story

“I love the Marathon so much because the training, and the discipline, and just really what you have to put into your training from every perspective - from time management, to nutrition, to setting these really fun and hard goals - those are, for me, some of the reasons I keep coming back to the distance.” (07:18)

“We all have little aches and pains and things that happen in the Marathon. That’s just part of the sport. But it wasn’t that. It was like this hamstring is just done at this point. It’s telling me that. And now I have to listen to my body. If I push myself through just to say I crossed the finish line, A.) I’m not gonna do anything that I know I’m capable of. And B.) I’m gonna be so injured after this that who knows when I’m gonna be able to get back on the road again? So we pulled out. It was super emotional. I mean who wants a DNF? I always believe in finishing what you start and you don’t quit, but it just wasn’t meant to be that day.” (20:59)

“I thought, ‘Ya know, I’m gonna try to make the best of the experience that I have. I’m here. There’s this beautiful stadium. There’s a lot of great things that are happening. These runners are putting their all into it and they’re having a great day. And my day is going to come, it’s just unfortunately not going to be today. But I do want to be there, and cheer other people on, and just be there and soak up the experience.” (24:14)

“I think the big lesson here that we both want to put out to the world is that this can happen to anybody. We really feel like if this can happen to us, it can happen to anybody. You can be a runner. You can be fit. You can take care of yourself. You can feel like you’re doing all the things that you should be doing to take care of your health, and something like this happens.” (42:10)

“I think the only thing we can do is just try to be as safe as we can and let people know where we’re going and just don’t make yourself a target. No one should be able to look at us and say, ‘I know that Whitney runs at 7am every day on this route.’ Nobody should know that.” (49:25)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Natalie’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-mitchell-336630123

Natalie’s Website – http://www.natrunsfar.com/

Natalie’s Podcast – https://www.suiterun.com/p/podcast.html

Natalie’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/natrunsfar/?hl=en

Natalie’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/natrunsfar?lang=en

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Megan Robinson has been a competitive track and cross-country runner since high school and has competed in numerous long distance races, including the Boston Marathon. She is a Level 1 certified RRCA coach and registered dietician/nutritionist (RDN). Today, Megan joins the show to discuss why Marathon fueling can be so complicated, the physiology of fueling and the importance of hydration. Megan and Whitney discuss tips and best practices for carb loading, why there are mixed messages in the media about fueling and nutrition and what an ideal baseline nutrition plan looks like.

Runner Click Pro – https://pro.runnerclick.com/

01:08 – Whitney Heins introduces today’s guest, Megan Robinson, who joins the show to share her experience as a Level 1 certified RRCA coach and registered sports dietician

09:21 – Why Marathon fueling can be so complicated

11:41 – Mixed media messages about fueling and nutrition

14:18 – The physiology of fueling

19:08 – The importance of hydration and the role of electrolytes

25:08 – Megan’s recommended baseline nutrition plan

33:26 – How runners should time their gels and electrolytes

41:49 – The dangers of dehydration and low blood sodium

46:41 – Megan’s thoughts on taking caffeine during races

55:41 – Tips and best practices for Carb loading

1:02:39 – Whitney thanks Megan for joining the show and wishes her luck in her next ran in Chicago

“It really made such a difference and impacted my life and how I saw nutrition. Especially to a teenager - especially as a female - you get those mixed messages. You look at your body type. You have negative body image often.” (06:37)

“I think the Marathon training is the hardest just because most of us are not used to eating on a run. Our gut is not used to taking in nutrition. So, when I start talking to the athletes I coach, who are training for Marathons, it’s really starting with the basics of getting your body used to taking in a little nutrition. So, I think it’s fear of taking in nutrition, lack of knowledge of how much your body actually needs, and understanding the physiology of why you need it.” (10:50)

“If you don’t have Type 1 Diabetes, your body has this wonderful regulation system. So, if your liver has enough glycogen in it, then if you start to exercise and don’t eat something and your blood sugar starts to drop, your liver will make enough sugar to regulate your blood sugars.” (15:23)

“When you’re dehydrated, your blood thickens. So, when that blood thickens, it’s increasing your heart rate, it’s increasing your blood pressure, it’s increasing your perceived effort. And it makes it a lot harder to get that oxygen to the working muscles.” (22:31)

“Once we start getting into longer runs, like Marathon training, I usually recommend taking anywhere from four to eight ounces of fluid every fifteen minutes.” (29:36)

“So don’t feel like you have to replace every amount of sodium that you’re sweating out. You just don’t want to get to a point where you’re diluting your blood sodium levels. And what I mean by that is that if you were on a long run, it’s a hot, humid day, and you’re only taking in water, your risk is lowering your blood sodium levels, and that can be dangerous. That’s what we call hyponatremia, which is low blood sodium.” (41:49)

“A general way to carb load without getting too nuts and counting grams of carbohydrate and ruining your total diet is by shifting your calories to eating more carb-based foods and reducing the fat and protein in your diet.” (56:54)

“The purpose of carb loading is to really maximize that muscle glycogen. And it’s been shown that it possibly could increase your performance by three percent. But the downside is obviously you’re shifting your calories, it’s a diet change that your body’s probably not used to, and you will gain some water weight, which is actually a good thing.” (1:01:03)

Whitney’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-heins-02ba3b5

The Mother Runners Club – https://www.themotherrunners.com/

Megan’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-robinson-ms-rd-cde-cssd-ldn-1966a352/

Megan’s Website – https://www.megansportsrd.com/

Megan’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/megansportsrdn/?hl=en

Megan’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/megansportsRD/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARAFjMOdN27R5A9-4P0KCit_wTZev_y5GS6I39BqS2OM2kGx6-YMNCn6tb8-2Ov0iXmMQJrY2eqjBlk7

Link to Humagel – https://humagel.com/

Link to Verb Energy – https://www.verbenergy.co/

Link to Nuun – https://nuunlife.com/

Link to Ucan – https://ucan.co/

Link to Science in Sport – https://www.scienceinsport.com/us/

Link to Honey Stinger – https://honeystinger.com/

Link to Skratch Labs – https://www.skratchlabs.com/

Link to Maurten – https://www.maurten.com/products/gel-100-box-us?gclid=CjwKCAjwvNaYBhA3EiwACgndggKdxuoTMw-ZknakQt4Db_AOXS3s_vkTKgtCbAe-Bv4E3_MDseUcKBoCY-MQAvD_BwE

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Podcast Production & Marketing by FullCast